Luis Miguel blinked, clearly startled by the abrupt shift in question. I saw the nervousness creep back into his eyes, and for a second, I thought I might break through to the real problem.
But he took a breath and continued, still shifting on his feet as if the ground beneath him was too unstable.
"Well, when they left, I went with María José, but now..." His voice trailed off. His eyes were darting around, like he couldn’t make sense of it himself. "This morning, their parents have been asking about them. Looking for them. But I don’t know where they are, Beta."
Three boys missing wasn’t child’s play.
No one went missing in this pack. At least, not without a damn good reason. It was almost like sothing out of a nightmare... sothing that didn’t happen here. Not in this pack, at least.
I pulled away from him for a mont, trying to process the information. The tension in my shoulders was so tight I could feel the muscles threatening to snap, and I wanted to punch sothing. I wasn’t even sure who or what I was angrier at; Things going awry in this pack, or myself for not knowing sooner.
I swallowed the frustration that burned in the back of my throat and refocused. "Missing people?" I repeated, the words sounding foreign in my mouth. "That’s a strange occurrence in this pack."
I was talking more to myself now, trying to grasp the full weight of it.
Missing kids. What the hell was going on?
Luis Miguel shifted uncomfortably, his hands wringing together as he nervously licked his lips. "I don’t know, Beta. They’re always getting into trouble. But they always co ho, you know? They’ve never stayed away like this. Their parents are worried. And now, everyone’s looking for them."
His voice cracked slightly, the anxiety creeping in despite his usually carefree nature.
My mind raced. I didn’t have the luxury of ti. María José was already in danger, and now the boys were missing? It wasn’t adding up.
I needed to figure out what was going on—and quickly. Every part of scread that sothing bigger was at play here, sothing that none of us had been prepared for.
I exhaled slowly, my mind clicking into gear. "You’re going to take to María José first," I said firmly and unwavering. "We’ll sort this out later. Afterward, we’ll mobilize the pack soldiers and search for your friends. We can’t waste any more ti."
Luis Miguel didn’t argue. His respect—or perhaps fear of was clear in the way he nodded sharply, his gaze now focused. The weight of my words settled on him, and I could see the nerves creeping back into his posture. Even though he was only twenty, and even though he had this reckless streak, he knew better than to challenge when it mattered.
"Alright, Beta Axel. Let’s go."
The way he said it, almost like a sigh of relief, told he had no intention of arguing. He feared the consequences if I got too angry. And I couldn’t bla him. In my current state, I felt like a volcano ready to erupt.
We started moving, the urgency in our steps obvious. My mind was still racing, trying to connect the dots. Missing boys, a disowned daughter, a packhouse guard involved with María José... Sothing wasn’t right.
Luis Miguel led the way through the winding streets, his usual cocky stride subdued. He was tense, probably wondering what the hell he had gotten himself into. I followed in silence, my mind bouncing between María José and the missing boys.
Missing kids. In this pack. It didn’t happen. It shouldn’t happen.
And María José—she was actually squatting with so random packhouse guard? The thought made my stomach twist. Hugo, wasn’t taking it well either. He had been restless from the second we heard she had been kicked out, but knowing she was staying with a man? His growl vibrated through my chest in a low and unhappy rumble that I barely managed to suppress.
Luis Miguel led into a rougher part of the pack’s territory, where the houses were smaller, shabbier, and patched up with whatever their owners could find. The further we walked, the more my irritation grew.
When we finally stopped in front of a run-down building, my chest tightened.
No.
No, this couldn’t be where she was staying.
The structure looked like one solid gust of wind would knock it over. The walls had cracks running from the base to the roof, and the door looked like it had been kicked in and barely fixed back.
"This is it?" My voice was sharper than I intended.
Luis Miguel scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah. This is where she’s been staying."
I exhaled slowly through my nose. María José. Living here. The thought of her sleeping in this place, of her breathing in the mold and god-knows-what else, made my hands clench into fists.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Beta," Luis Miguel said, shoulders tensing. "I wouldn’t bring you here if I wasn’t."
I stared at the door, literally begging myself to calm down. It didn’t work. I gestured for Luis Miguel to knock.
He did, rapping against the wood in a quick rhythm.
There was a pause. Then, true to his words, María José’s voice ca from the other side.
"Who is it?"
Luis Miguel cleared his throat. "It’s ."
First, there was silence, and then, slow footsteps approached the door. It creaked open just slightly and she opened the door, half of her face beaming.
I hadn’t clearly seen the injury on her face but I could see a steak of sothing like stitches jagging from her nose to the other end of her face.
My heart dropped into my stomach. Hugo hissed in fury. Oh, my God. It was true. She lost her beauty to her sister’s cruelty.
I had gulped and was barely trying to keep my cool, not trying to overreact or make her feel bad about herself when...
Slam!
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